The technology relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle including the vehicle control device, e.g., an automobile.
Various proposals have been put forward for display devices in vehicles such as automobiles. The display devices may recognize environment forward of an own vehicle with various kinds of environment recognition units, and provide image display of information on, for example but not limited to, a lane shape and an obstacle.
Use of such display devices makes it possible for an occupant to acquire various pieces of information useful for operation of the vehicle. The display devices are useful, not only as a driving assistant when the occupant drives the vehicle as a driver, but also for a purpose of the occupant's supervision of validity of an automatic operation control in a vehicle that performs automatic operation.
In particular, the use of the display devices is considered to be effective in night-time traveling in which external environment is less visible to the occupant himself or herself.
The following is some examples of existing techniques regarding image display of the environment around the own vehicle in the night-time traveling. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2007-015660 describes that infrared light is sent forward of the vehicle in the night-time traveling, while an infrared image forward of the vehicle is captured by an infrared camera and is displayed. The infrared image thus displayed may be utilized as a supplement to the driver's visual check of, for example but not limited to, an obstacle in a region illuminated by headlights.
JP-A No. 2010-176591 describes a display device for a vehicle that includes a light-emitting body installed in an instrumental panel of the vehicle. The display device causes reflection of light emission at a front windshield, to transmit information to the driver. Upon detection of a pedestrian or any other object, the display device displays an alarm mark at a corresponding position. When the pedestrian or other objects exist outside an illumination range of headlights, the display device displays an image of a pseudo human body.